Improvement in ship-building



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LB.. HALL. ship-Building No. 209,167.1 .'Pa'tentedocf. 2 2, 1878.

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.PEYERS, FHDTaLITHGGHAPHFH. WASHINGTON. n c,

"wnxph UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGE.

JOSEPH B. HALL, OF CHICAGO,'ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SHIP-BUILDING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 209,167, ,dated October 22, 1878; application'filed February 4, 1878.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J osEPH B. HALL, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in Ship-Building, of which the following is a specification This invention relates to the construction of the hulls of vessels, and it is applicable to all classes of merchant-vessels, both steam and sa1 The main features of it are, `irst, a novel combination of wood floor-frames with metal bends and top frames and auxiliary metal futtocks, whereby I attain increased strength at the bends, where it is so necessary; second, the strength usually obtained by heavy ceiling I transfer to the outside by increasing the thickness of the outside planking and diminishing that of the inside; third, fastening the outside plankin g to the metal portions of the frames wholly from the inside, whereby the fastenings are withheld from contact with the outside water; fourth, an endless-plank waterway 5 fth, a water-tight ceiling; and sixth, a new system for ventilating'the frame-spaces. These features will all be understood from the accompanying drawings and the subjoined description.

In said drawing, Figure l is a cross-section 0f a vessel constructed after my invention.

Fig. 2 shows the inside of the vertical part of v the frame system, the same being a section upon the line a' x of Fig. l with the ceiling removed. Fig. 3 is a section with the iiooring removed. Fig. 4 showsa modified construction of the floor-frames.

Like letters indicate like parts in all the iigures in which they appear.

In the drawing, A represents the keel. B B are the floor-frames, crossing the keel and extending to the bends on each side. They are constructed of wood, and in vessels having a moderate dead rise they are formed from single timbers, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3; but in sharp vessels and large shipsthey may be constructed of three pieces, cut and joined together, as shown at Fig. 4.

The bends and top frames are 0f metal, and I use, preferably, angle-bars such as are used in the framing of iron ships. Other convenient forms or shapes may be used, if desired.

with these metal frames I employ auxiliary metal futtocks C', also of angle-iron, having p their iianges reversed, so as to iit and be secured-to the opposite side of the floor-frames, as in Fig. 3 is clearly shown. -Their upper ends terminate just above the top of the bends. It will thus be seen that they give great additional strength to the bends where the turns are short. They may also be employed with bilges of wood-framed vessels to advantage.

The outside plankin g, D, is about half thicker than that ordinarily used, and is fastened to the metal portions of the framing by screws from the inside, as already mentioned. It is also fastened to the floor-fram es and allwooden connections with treenails, after the ordinary manner in seagoing ships. The lag-screws should be heavy, and should not be so long as to project through the plank. In this manner all contact ofthe screws with any metal sheathing employed is prevented-an item of importance in many cases. This outside planking, from the floor-heads up to the gunwale, are thoroughly edge-fastened one to another by means of stout treenails d, of strong durable wood.

vThe thinner planks of the bulwarks between the gunwale and rail may be edge-fastened,

and connected with those below by metal bolts.

The deck-beams E in this construction are of metal, and are fastened to the metal top frames C in the manner usual in iron ships.

An endless-plank water-way, F, is made of several strakes of planks1 f, set on edge across the ends of the deck-beams against blocks of timber j" in the frame-spaces, the blocks being fastened to the inner face of the gunwalestrake, and thick enough to come iiush with the edges of the frame-flanges. These strakes are bent around the bow and stern, forming a complete band around the deck. The strakes are all fastened together and to the gunwaleY tscription.

l provide the vessel with a water-tight ceiling, constructed in manner following: Two courses of boards, m, are laid on the frames', with an intervening course of common roofingpaper or other water-proof fabric, m1, of several layers or thicknesses between them, and these are covered with a third course of boards or planks, m2, of sufficient strength to sustain the c. rgo and resist the abrasions thereof. The iirst two courses, on, may be of thin pine boards, free from sap edges, thoroughly covered with hot coal-tar to retard deca-y, except that the first course from the'bends upward should be about an inch thick, and laid in narrow strakes about an inch apart their whole len gth,thereby forming air-passages from each frame-space to the adjoining spaces. This ceiling is fastened with nails and spikes to the floor-frames, and elsewhere to furring made of strips of durable wood just thick enough to answer the purpose, and deep enough to come iiush with the flanges of Athe metal frames. This furring a extends from the floor-heads to the water-way, and is fitted and spiked to the outer plankin g. I prefer to treat this furrin g, and also the different layers of the interlinin g, with hot coal-tar.

The seams between vthe main keelson, G, and sister keelsons, G G', and all scarf-seams in them, are thoroughly calked and stopwatered. V

A water-tight connection of the interlining with the keelsons and all timber-faces along the edges of the ceiling is made by doubling the e'dges of all the layers of paper together into sufiiciently thick folds, placing them against the faces of the timbers', over the ends of all stop-waters where they occur, covering the folds with stout battens of wood, and nailing through both rmly to the timbers. This is fully shown in Fig. 5, where r designates the battens, the scale being considerably enlarged from that in the other figures. The nails used with or driven through this waterproof material should be so pointed that they will penetrate without tearing the same, and when made of iron or steel should be galvanized to prevent oxidation.

The frame-spaces are all ventilated freely by means of air-passages along the bulwarks, by means of Vholes made through the metalframe flanges, and grooves 'i across the faces of the small timbers to which the inside bul wark-planks are fastened. Other passages for the air, i', are formed, as already described, along the sides by separating the inner ceiling-boards, m. These air-passages are continuous from end to end of the ship, where they should be connected with the open air by pipes or openings t.

NVhenever the motion of the ship is sufliciently violent to throw the bilge-water from side to side, the air will be forced out through the passages and openings, and all pressure therefrom prevented upon the side toward which the water is thrown, while at the same time the vacuum created upon the opposite side of the vessel is supplied by outside air, drawn in through the same system of ventilation; and in this manner the air is first forced out and then drawn in upon each side alternately as the ship rolls from side to side. Thus perfect ventilation is afforded, and all danger of the expulsion of calking from the outside seams is avoided. i y

The outside openings should be so located or protected(as at t, under the rail) that they will not be immersed by the careening of the vessel, and so constructed that they will not take in any of the sea which may break over them.

Salt-chambers will be formed between the bulwark-planks and the outside plankin g, above the gunwale, by the construction I have shown. c

S in the drawing represents the stanchions which support the center of the deck-beams. They are secured to the beams by flat metal plates s. The deck-beams and the metal frames are firmly secured together by plate-iron knees 7c, riveted thereto. At o o are openings in the floor-frames for the passage of the bilge-Water from end to end of the vessel.

By my construction I attain over ordinary wooden vessels greater strength, durability, burden, stowage-room, and safety to cargo, while ordinary repairs are cheapened, and the cost of construction is enhanced but little if anv.

4I am aware that in the construction of composite vessels short metal dowels have been attached to the outside of the metal frames to enter the planking, steady it in place, and relieve the fastenings, and that vertical treenails have been used to fasten one plank to the next below, and I do not claim this construction.

I am also aware that water-proof fabric has been used between the planks forming the bulk-heads of vessels, and I do not claim this material, broadly, for that purpose.

What I claim as new is- 1. The combination, in a vessel having the Hoor-frames of wood and the bends and top frames of metal, of a heavy outside planking upon said metal frames, and screw-bolts and fastenings for said planking introduced wholly from the inside, substantially as set forth.

2. The Water-Way constructed of a series of Ventilated by means of horizontal openings i', planks set upon edge and bolted together,with extending the Whole length of the vessel and the joints broken, substantially as specified. formed between the courses of ceiling adjoin- 3. ThefWater-tight ceiling for the hull, coning the frames, substantially as set forth. sistin g o layers of Water-proof fabric laid between courses of thin boards, and turned JOSEPH B' HALL' up vertically yon each side of the keelsons7 Witnesses: substantially as described. EDW. S. EVARTS 4. The llin g or spacesbetween the frames, FORDE R. SMITH. 

